Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015 Jan 23;9(1):4.
doi: 10.1186/s13030-015-0031-7. eCollection 2015.

Effect of prolonged stress on the adrenal hormones of individuals with irritable bowel syndrome

Nagisa Sugaya  1 , Shuhei Izawa  2 , Keisuke Saito  3 , Kentaro Shirotsuki  4 , Shinobu Nomura  5 , Hironori Shimada  5
Affiliations

Effect of prolonged stress on the adrenal hormones of individuals with irritable bowel syndrome

Nagisa Sugaya et al. Biopsychosoc Med. .

Abstract

Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of prolonged stress on the salivary adrenal hormones (cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone [DHEA], DHEA-sulfate [DHEA-S]) of individuals with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Methods: The participants were female college students, including 10 with IBS and 16 without IBS (control group), who were scheduled for a 2-week teaching practice at a kindergarten. Participants were asked to collect saliva for determining adrenal hormones immediately and 30 min after awakening and before sleep, 2 weeks before the practice, the first week of the practice, the second week of the practice, and a few days after the practice.

Results: Regarding cortisol/DHEA ratio, significantly increased levels were found during the first week of the practice, and a significant interaction between group and time was found; the ratio at 30 min after awakening in the IBS group was higher than that in the control group. For the other adrenal hormone indexes, no significant differences due to the presence of IBS were found.

Conclusions: Individuals with IBS showed an elevated cortisol/DHEA ratio after awakening compared with individuals without IBS, and the elevated ratio peaked under the prolonged stress. The present study suggests that the cortisol effect is dominant in individuals with IBS under prolonged stress.

Keywords: Cortisol; Dehydroepiandrosterone; Irritable bowel syndrome; Prolonged stress; Saliva.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Comparison of the transitions of the cortisol/DHEA ratio between the IBS group and the control group. N = 26 (IBS group, 10; control group, 16). Interaction between IBS and time (F [2.00, 231.79] = 6.81, p = 0.001): IBS > Control (30 min after awakening). Effect of day (F [3.00, 241.65] = 3.03, p = 0.03): Day 2 > Day 1. Error bars denote standard errors.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Fukudo S, Suzuki J. Colonic motility, autonomic function, and gastrointestinal hormones under psychological stress on irritable bowel syndrome. Tohoku J Exp Med. 1987;151:373–86. doi: 10.1620/tjem.151.373. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Fukudo S, Nomura T, Muranaka M, Taguchi F. Brain-gut response to stress and cholinergic stimulation in irritable bowel syndrome. A preliminary study. J Clin Gastroenterol. 1993;17:133–41. doi: 10.1097/00004836-199309000-00009. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Kudielka BM, Buske-Kirschbaum A, Hellhammer DH, Kirschbaum C. HPA axis responses to laboratory psychosocial stress in healthy elderly adults, younger adults, and children: impact of age and gender. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 1994;29:83–98. doi: 10.1016/S0306-4530(02)00146-4. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Chrousos GP. Stress, chronic inflammation, and emotional and physical well-being: concurrent effects and chronic sequelae. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2000;106:S275–91. doi: 10.1067/mai.2000.110163. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Elenkov U, Chrousos GP. Stress hormones, Th1/Th2 patterns, pro/anti-inflammatory cytokines and susceptibility to disease. Trends Endocrinol Metab. 1999;10:359–68. doi: 10.1016/S1043-2760(99)00188-5. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources